For composers interested in diving into the competition/conference circuit this year, I have compiled information on select opportunities that I have my eye on. None have entry fees, though some have age/enrollment requirements, and some require conference attendance/registration fees if selected.
Of particular note to continuing students is the August 1, 2009 postmark deadline for the 2010 SCI Student National Conference (March 5-6) in West Virginia.
Opportunities (organized by deadline postmark date)
Academic conferences are listed in blue. View links for available instrumentation.
* August 1 - 2010 SCI Student National Conference (held March 5-6, 2010, at Marshall University in Huntington, WV). Call for scores, one-minute recorded works, paper presentations, and lecture recitals. The conference theme is Giving Voice: Social Justice and the Arts.
Must be an SCI member at time of performance.
* August 1 - 2010 SCI Region IV Conference (held February 4-6, 2010, at UNC in Greensboro, NC). Call for scores (including electronic), papers, and discussion panels.
Must be an SCI member at time of performance.
* August 2 - New Music Hartford 60/60 Concert. For works composed in 60 minutes. E-mail the host to sign up. At 3PM on August 2, 2009, the instrumentation is announced by e-mail. At 4PM, scores are due. Winning works are selected, and the concert is held August 30.
* August 15 (receipt deadline, e-submission accepted) - Soundcrawl Nashville. A sound-based art walk held October 3. They're asking for electronic works under 7 minutes, with detailed info on the tools and process used to create the audio. (If you submit a one-minute electronic work to the SCI Student National Conference, this could be the same one.)
* September 1 (e-submissions encouraged) - Wet Ink Ensemble. NYC chamber group seeking scores.
* September 15 (e-submissions required) - 2010 CMS Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference (our region!) (held March 5-6, 2010, at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC). Call for scores (PDF+MP3), including a Student Composers Competition category. (Must provide your own performers.)
Must be a CMS member at time of application and performance.
* September 15 - ASCAP/Lotte Lehmann Song Cycle Competition. Submit one art song, score and CD.
* October 5 - Symphony in C. Top-notch youth orchestra seeking 8-15-minute orchestra works, prior performance history allowed.
* December 2 (e-submissions required) - 2010 CMS National Conference (held September 23-26, 2010, in Minneapolis, MN). Call for scores (PDF+MP3), and papers/presentations on any college music-related topic. Conference Theme is "Music = Communication".
Must be a CMS member at time of application and performance.
There are two composition categories: (Contact me if these links won't work and you need more info.)
___* Compositions of 3 Minutes or Less: Call for scores (PDF+MP3) of 180 seconds or less, for one, two, or three players.
___* Choral Scores: Call for scores (PDF+MP3) for mixed chorus with or without piano, 5 minutes or less.
* February 13, 2010 (approx.) - BMI Student Composer Awards. Major national competition, for any classical work. Open to student composers under age 28 as of application date.
* March 1, 2010 - ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. Major national competition, for any classical work. Open to composers under age 30 as of January 1, 2010.
* March 15, 2010 (receipt deadline) - ALEA III International Composition Prize. Chamber/solo works for 1-15 players, 6-15 minutes long. Score only. Open to composers under age 40 as of application date.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Mini-Post Mini-Series Part 6: Quartet Mini-Reviews #3
Quartet Mini-Reviews #3
(...or, what I've heard since last week)
During a short trip home to see the family, I had a chance to listen to six more quartets. The two more Myaskovsky quartets and Glass' fifth (second hearing) ranged from good to great.
Here are three others quartets you likely haven't heard (but should), all composed by women in the past 10-35 years:
* Eleanor Hovda - Lemniscates (1988)
Meter and pulse are completely absent. If my memory and ear can be trusted, there are no rapid gestures (except tremolo), no dynamics above piano, and no pitches below the violin's open E in the first seven minutes of the work! These are truly the sounds of another world. Imagine a long-abandoned barn filled with decayed machinery and the assorted projects of a hobbyist inventor - squeaky weather vanes, long metal tubes half-filled with water, and various peculiar objects swaying in the wind. That's about what this sounds like, only it's made by four acoustic string instruments.
Near the end, the cello (Is it the cello? They're all playing so high!) hammers out the only forte passages, followed by an abrupt return to the earlier metallic murmurs. One unusual performance indication among the many employed deserves special attention. The cello (?) saws away on a repeated note while gradually shifting the bow position from sul pont. to sul tasto and back. The isolation of bow placement through steady rhythm, attack, and pitch makes this line jump out as though it were a tuneful melody. I will definitely steal this technique soon.
* Frances Thorne - String Quartet No. 3 (1975)
It is puzzling that pieces built around unique noises, colors, and gestures are somehow more accessible - to this listener, at least - than much traditionally-notated modernist or contemporary atonal music. It's probably unfair to classify Frances Thorne's three movement String Quartet No. 3 as either modernist or atonal, but that's my initial verdict in the context of my recent listening and current captive setting: alone with my thoughts on a familiar, strange, sparsely-populated Minnesota highway.
Before I get too carried away, let me mention that the opening few minutes of Thorne's third movement are simply gorgeous. The initial solo phrases typify this elusive brand of disjunct lyricism that I've been trying for weeks to pin down. This plaintive voice gives way to a cool polyphonic texture in the same vein. As a set of variations, the movement proceeds to other somewhat less satisfying iterations. Even at the return to the earlier subdued texture, the memory of short, erratic punctuations interrupts the moment of repose - in the listener's mind if not on the surface of the music. This work certainly has its highlights, but another listen or two is needed before I can enjoy any deeper appreciation.
* Margaret Brouwer - Crosswinds (1999)
I could be mistaken, but I think I just heard a dominant 7th resolve to tonic at the end of movement two. Sure, the 7th resolved up, but that was blatant tonality! Brouwer's cheerful tunes catch the ear instantly, yet she only lays on a rhythmic accompaniment pattern as long as she needs to establish the folksy reference she's after.
Her work sounds a little like young Americana Copland meets older, "serious modernist" Copland. I'm not sure how well the two would get along, or whether "populist" or "modernist" camps would react well to this work, but it seems to me a great amalgam of both influences. The pentatonic melodies and triadic harmonies give even the wholly uninitiated listener an "in", while originality and willingness to toss in some peculiar notes keeps the student on her or his analytical toes. Definitely give this brief set a listen.
(...or, what I've heard since last week)
During a short trip home to see the family, I had a chance to listen to six more quartets. The two more Myaskovsky quartets and Glass' fifth (second hearing) ranged from good to great.
Here are three others quartets you likely haven't heard (but should), all composed by women in the past 10-35 years:
* Eleanor Hovda - Lemniscates (1988)
Meter and pulse are completely absent. If my memory and ear can be trusted, there are no rapid gestures (except tremolo), no dynamics above piano, and no pitches below the violin's open E in the first seven minutes of the work! These are truly the sounds of another world. Imagine a long-abandoned barn filled with decayed machinery and the assorted projects of a hobbyist inventor - squeaky weather vanes, long metal tubes half-filled with water, and various peculiar objects swaying in the wind. That's about what this sounds like, only it's made by four acoustic string instruments.
Near the end, the cello (Is it the cello? They're all playing so high!) hammers out the only forte passages, followed by an abrupt return to the earlier metallic murmurs. One unusual performance indication among the many employed deserves special attention. The cello (?) saws away on a repeated note while gradually shifting the bow position from sul pont. to sul tasto and back. The isolation of bow placement through steady rhythm, attack, and pitch makes this line jump out as though it were a tuneful melody. I will definitely steal this technique soon.
* Frances Thorne - String Quartet No. 3 (1975)
It is puzzling that pieces built around unique noises, colors, and gestures are somehow more accessible - to this listener, at least - than much traditionally-notated modernist or contemporary atonal music. It's probably unfair to classify Frances Thorne's three movement String Quartet No. 3 as either modernist or atonal, but that's my initial verdict in the context of my recent listening and current captive setting: alone with my thoughts on a familiar, strange, sparsely-populated Minnesota highway.
Before I get too carried away, let me mention that the opening few minutes of Thorne's third movement are simply gorgeous. The initial solo phrases typify this elusive brand of disjunct lyricism that I've been trying for weeks to pin down. This plaintive voice gives way to a cool polyphonic texture in the same vein. As a set of variations, the movement proceeds to other somewhat less satisfying iterations. Even at the return to the earlier subdued texture, the memory of short, erratic punctuations interrupts the moment of repose - in the listener's mind if not on the surface of the music. This work certainly has its highlights, but another listen or two is needed before I can enjoy any deeper appreciation.
* Margaret Brouwer - Crosswinds (1999)
I could be mistaken, but I think I just heard a dominant 7th resolve to tonic at the end of movement two. Sure, the 7th resolved up, but that was blatant tonality! Brouwer's cheerful tunes catch the ear instantly, yet she only lays on a rhythmic accompaniment pattern as long as she needs to establish the folksy reference she's after.
Her work sounds a little like young Americana Copland meets older, "serious modernist" Copland. I'm not sure how well the two would get along, or whether "populist" or "modernist" camps would react well to this work, but it seems to me a great amalgam of both influences. The pentatonic melodies and triadic harmonies give even the wholly uninitiated listener an "in", while originality and willingness to toss in some peculiar notes keeps the student on her or his analytical toes. Definitely give this brief set a listen.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Mini-Post Mini-Series Part 5: New Music Mini-Ads
Quartet Mini-Ads
(...or, what you should consider buying)
In other news, I'm really excited. I just bought the following:
* Philip Glass' String _ Quartets Nos. 2-5 played by Kronos
_ _ _ (Note: 2 separate links/prices - $4.48 or $6.50)
* The Music of Ellsworth Milburn ($4.20)
* The monumental 22-CD Stravinsky set ($36.08 w/S&H from UK) that Alex Ross mentioned long, long ago.
Hooray! I'll let you know what I think when I get them.
(...or, what you should consider buying)
In other news, I'm really excited. I just bought the following:
* Philip Glass' String _ Quartets Nos. 2-5 played by Kronos
_ _ _ (Note: 2 separate links/prices - $4.48 or $6.50)
* The Music of Ellsworth Milburn ($4.20)
* The monumental 22-CD Stravinsky set ($36.08 w/S&H from UK) that Alex Ross mentioned long, long ago.
Hooray! I'll let you know what I think when I get them.
Mini-Post Mini-Series Part 4: Quartet Mini-Reviews #2
Quartet Mini-Reviews #2
(...or, what I've heard since Saturday)
* Tina Davidson - Cassandra Sings (1989)
A good combination of background and foreground material propels the music forward. There are very nice contrasting sections of action and repose, featuring soaring cello lines. With roughly two minutes remaining, she makes a bold shift to slow, sustained harmonies that catch the listener's attention better than any bombastic outburst. Simply lovely writing.
* Andrew Waggoner - A Song (Strophic Variations for String Quartet) (1988)
The first 12 seconds or so announce the tenor of the entire work with loud and soft chords in stark contrast. Half way through, this "song" evolves into an exciting, rhythmically-charged romp with frequent starts and stops. Deepening the references to the Rite of Spring, Waggoner even features some large "interrupting" blocks of sound before moving into a more subdued section at 7:30. Things pick up again with about 90 seconds to go as we return to the closing section: driving yet bouyant repeated bow strokes so suitable for strings. This work is a great representative of the exciting, new, satisfying experiences that can be found in contemporary chamber music.
* Eleanor Hovda - Lemniscates (1988)
Eleanor Hovda certainly sets her work apart. The curious, paper-thin texture snuck under my radar for a full 7 minutes while I was browsing Amazon.com! I'll start this one over and report back later.
(...or, what I've heard since Saturday)
* Tina Davidson - Cassandra Sings (1989)
A good combination of background and foreground material propels the music forward. There are very nice contrasting sections of action and repose, featuring soaring cello lines. With roughly two minutes remaining, she makes a bold shift to slow, sustained harmonies that catch the listener's attention better than any bombastic outburst. Simply lovely writing.
* Andrew Waggoner - A Song (Strophic Variations for String Quartet) (1988)
The first 12 seconds or so announce the tenor of the entire work with loud and soft chords in stark contrast. Half way through, this "song" evolves into an exciting, rhythmically-charged romp with frequent starts and stops. Deepening the references to the Rite of Spring, Waggoner even features some large "interrupting" blocks of sound before moving into a more subdued section at 7:30. Things pick up again with about 90 seconds to go as we return to the closing section: driving yet bouyant repeated bow strokes so suitable for strings. This work is a great representative of the exciting, new, satisfying experiences that can be found in contemporary chamber music.
* Eleanor Hovda - Lemniscates (1988)
Eleanor Hovda certainly sets her work apart. The curious, paper-thin texture snuck under my radar for a full 7 minutes while I was browsing Amazon.com! I'll start this one over and report back later.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Mini-Post Mini-Series Part 3: Mini-Self-Revelations
Mini-Self-Revelations
(...or, what I've learned so far)
1.) I need music with a pulse. Fast, slow, irregular - any type is fine, but my ear and my body really crave some sort of coherent rhythmic structure.
2.) I don't mind harsh dissonances, when used with intention. More important than consonant sonorities is a continuity and logic in the level of dissonance from points A to B to C, etc...
3.) Early minimalism tends to rely on the repetition and modification of very small music units (1-2 beats). As the repeated cell becomes longer and more complex, minimalism gives way to simpler large structures: the repeated phrase, passacaglia, ground bass, strophic song forms, etc. Some moments in Glass' fifth quartet seem to take a few steps away from this local-level repetition to create something grander.
At what point does a minimalist cell become a repeated strophic period? I will attempt to answer this question in my first movement.
(...or, what I've learned so far)
1.) I need music with a pulse. Fast, slow, irregular - any type is fine, but my ear and my body really crave some sort of coherent rhythmic structure.
2.) I don't mind harsh dissonances, when used with intention. More important than consonant sonorities is a continuity and logic in the level of dissonance from points A to B to C, etc...
3.) Early minimalism tends to rely on the repetition and modification of very small music units (1-2 beats). As the repeated cell becomes longer and more complex, minimalism gives way to simpler large structures: the repeated phrase, passacaglia, ground bass, strophic song forms, etc. Some moments in Glass' fifth quartet seem to take a few steps away from this local-level repetition to create something grander.
At what point does a minimalist cell become a repeated strophic period? I will attempt to answer this question in my first movement.
Mini-Post Mini-Series Part 2: Quartet Mini-Reviews
Quartet Mini-Reviews
(...or, what I've heard so far)
* Phillip Glass - String Quartet No. 5 (1991): I absolutely love this work! It was so much fun to listen to. It surprised me with how non-"minimalist" it is. Repeating, evolving patterns and shifting, mediant-related triadic harmonies are present, but this work really transcends mere patterning through solid orchestration and careful balance of repetition and variety.
($6.40 used on Amazon)
(Note: See Mini-Self-Revelation #3, above, for a related idea.)
* Ellsworth Milburn - String Quartet No. 2 (1988): Tightly-packed dissonances plane up and down through intense, driving sixteenth notes. Sixteen continuous minutes of muscular lines, rich textures, and baffling interlocking rhythms will leave you out of breath, even if you're not the one playing.
($4.20 used on Amazon)
* Ellsworth Milburn - String Quartet No. 1 (1974): Like an electronica piece transcribed for acoustic performance, this work successfully exploits the dramatic potential of extended techniques. The sul pont., behind the bridge, and tremolo bowings add up to so much more than weird sounds for weird sounds' sake. The music squeaks, squaks, whispers, and shouts with the best of them.
(Note: I was so floored by these Milburn quartets that I wanted to write to the composer. Sadly, he passed away May 3, 2007.)
- - -
* Julia Wolfe - Four Marys (1991): Also makes great use of propulsive rhythms and tangy dissonances. Wolfe is less extreme in these regards than the Milburn quartets, making her work less immediately impressive yet more sensitive and contemplative.
* Nikolai Myaskovsky - String Quartet No. 2 (1930): On recommendation from a friend, I threw this one into the mix. It's a really great model, I think, for what I was looking for at the time - use of a definable, singable, beautiful melody that doesn't overwhelm the other elements in terms of phrasing and pacing. I enjoyed each movement a little more than the last. Only 12 more to listen to!
* Jan Radzinski - String Quartet (1978): A nervous, unified ensemble sound blasts out modern dissonant heterophony. On the music/noise spectrum, this one is a few clicks toward the "noise" end, but again, it's not noise for its own sake. The heterophony gives the impression of a single musical unit struggling to form a unified gesture despite the overwhelming number of potential directions each moment could take.
* Daniel Godfrey - Intermedio (1986): It seems very well constructed, with imaginative harmonies and clear musical gestures. Less impressive than some, but of course the fast and flashy will always win my attention when washing dishes or riding on the Metro. Certainly worth another listen.
* Bruce Adolphe - String Quartet No. 2 "Turning, Returning" (1991): After enjoying his NPR Piano Puzzler for months, I was looking forward to Adolphe's two quartets. The experience was very pleasant, as he really knows how to marry traditional phrasing with unexpected elements to reach a diverse audience. I'm looking forward to his first quartet.
* Allen Anderson - String Quartet (1990): Conceived and laid out quite well. I didn't hear much new to report on in my single listening, but I also didn't hear the rest of his CD.
Still on the list: more Glass, more Myaskovsky, more Adolphe, Davidson, Waggoner, Hovda, Bresnick, Brouwer, Thorne, Mamlok, and a couple of others.
(...or, what I've heard so far)
* Phillip Glass - String Quartet No. 5 (1991): I absolutely love this work! It was so much fun to listen to. It surprised me with how non-"minimalist" it is. Repeating, evolving patterns and shifting, mediant-related triadic harmonies are present, but this work really transcends mere patterning through solid orchestration and careful balance of repetition and variety.
($6.40 used on Amazon)
(Note: See Mini-Self-Revelation #3, above, for a related idea.)
* Ellsworth Milburn - String Quartet No. 2 (1988): Tightly-packed dissonances plane up and down through intense, driving sixteenth notes. Sixteen continuous minutes of muscular lines, rich textures, and baffling interlocking rhythms will leave you out of breath, even if you're not the one playing.
($4.20 used on Amazon)
* Ellsworth Milburn - String Quartet No. 1 (1974): Like an electronica piece transcribed for acoustic performance, this work successfully exploits the dramatic potential of extended techniques. The sul pont., behind the bridge, and tremolo bowings add up to so much more than weird sounds for weird sounds' sake. The music squeaks, squaks, whispers, and shouts with the best of them.
(Note: I was so floored by these Milburn quartets that I wanted to write to the composer. Sadly, he passed away May 3, 2007.)
- - -
* Julia Wolfe - Four Marys (1991): Also makes great use of propulsive rhythms and tangy dissonances. Wolfe is less extreme in these regards than the Milburn quartets, making her work less immediately impressive yet more sensitive and contemplative.
* Nikolai Myaskovsky - String Quartet No. 2 (1930): On recommendation from a friend, I threw this one into the mix. It's a really great model, I think, for what I was looking for at the time - use of a definable, singable, beautiful melody that doesn't overwhelm the other elements in terms of phrasing and pacing. I enjoyed each movement a little more than the last. Only 12 more to listen to!
* Jan Radzinski - String Quartet (1978): A nervous, unified ensemble sound blasts out modern dissonant heterophony. On the music/noise spectrum, this one is a few clicks toward the "noise" end, but again, it's not noise for its own sake. The heterophony gives the impression of a single musical unit struggling to form a unified gesture despite the overwhelming number of potential directions each moment could take.
* Daniel Godfrey - Intermedio (1986): It seems very well constructed, with imaginative harmonies and clear musical gestures. Less impressive than some, but of course the fast and flashy will always win my attention when washing dishes or riding on the Metro. Certainly worth another listen.
* Bruce Adolphe - String Quartet No. 2 "Turning, Returning" (1991): After enjoying his NPR Piano Puzzler for months, I was looking forward to Adolphe's two quartets. The experience was very pleasant, as he really knows how to marry traditional phrasing with unexpected elements to reach a diverse audience. I'm looking forward to his first quartet.
* Allen Anderson - String Quartet (1990): Conceived and laid out quite well. I didn't hear much new to report on in my single listening, but I also didn't hear the rest of his CD.
Still on the list: more Glass, more Myaskovsky, more Adolphe, Davidson, Waggoner, Hovda, Bresnick, Brouwer, Thorne, Mamlok, and a couple of others.
Mini-Post Mini-Series Part 1: My Mini-Musical Crisis
My Mini-Musical Crisis
(...or, what in the world am I doing?!)
It's been a pretty rough two weeks for my string quartet. In the process of attempting a B section for my slow movement, I did something I rarely do: I threw out and permanently deleted two 90-second chunks of music. There's nothing remarkable about this, except that I generally compose very slowly and carefully, meaning I rarely revise, and I almost never discard material. This is largely a result of experimenting with two promising but unfamiliar compositional processes that seem to be at odds with the sort of music I gravitate towards.
To gain some perspective, I've put my composing aside and dedicated this weekend to fun and exploration - musical, of course. I'm listening to as many contemporary (post-1970) quartets as possible before Monday.
(...or, what in the world am I doing?!)
It's been a pretty rough two weeks for my string quartet. In the process of attempting a B section for my slow movement, I did something I rarely do: I threw out and permanently deleted two 90-second chunks of music. There's nothing remarkable about this, except that I generally compose very slowly and carefully, meaning I rarely revise, and I almost never discard material. This is largely a result of experimenting with two promising but unfamiliar compositional processes that seem to be at odds with the sort of music I gravitate towards.
To gain some perspective, I've put my composing aside and dedicated this weekend to fun and exploration - musical, of course. I'm listening to as many contemporary (post-1970) quartets as possible before Monday.
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